


City Lights

by idieokonkwo



Category: Black Widow (Comics), Inhumans (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: F/F, Friends With Benefits, Slight Canon Divergence, mentions of other 616 characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-09-06 02:25:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8731129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idieokonkwo/pseuds/idieokonkwo
Summary: Giving in to the exhaustion, she walked back to the bar to sit down, she still had to do something tonight, she thought, there was too much on her mind to be able to sleep but she cannot waste all this time speculating on the inner workings of her team’s psyche. She ran through her mental checklist again. Plans re-calibration. Sanctuary plea. Iso. Swedish delegation. Avengers check-up. Avengers check-up…
Natasha.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I started writing this straight after like issue #4 of All New Inhumans or something and then I abandoned it for like two years so what should have been slight canon divergence probably isn't anymore?? I haven't really read Inhumans since though so idek, but here you go! Possibly the most random pairing I could think of?? I blame it on that on tumblr post that went around at some point about Nat being friends with the Inhumans in the 90s and taking Crystal to a Go-Go club???
> 
> (edit: also beta'd by the lovely [@fionnmaccool](http://archiveofourown.org/users/fionnmaccool))

The flight from Sin-Cong was long, but it was hardly the worst part, her team had gone off to one of the lower levels to ‘recuperate’ with many a pointed glance her way. That they were disappointed that she knew, but they were young and idealistic still and did not quite grasp how helpless she was sometimes despite the titles and superpowers, what troubled her more was how easy it was to get them riled up, how easy it was for them to lose control. She would have to talk to Gorgon about that.

She stopped pacing outside her newly installed mini-bar and poured herself a glass of scotch, leaning back on the bar; she looked out onto the city skyline outside her window. At least Pietro’s taken Luna for a few days, she thought to herself. Her daughter’s exposure to the Terrigen mists turned her into a powerful empath and with it came insight into the near constant turmoil of her parents’ life; it pained Crystal that her child should worry about anything in the world, least of all her mother’s emotional state.

She would have to report back to Johnson first thing tomorrow, but until then she had some nine hours all to herself, and it should say something about how hectic her life has been lately that she so seriously prized those few hours. The Sin-Cong plans need some recalibrating, she thought, formulating a checklist for herself, plus that sanctuary plea is not finished and she had promised Iso a training plan too. Refilling her glass, she pushed herself off the bar and to the holographic monitors populating the leftmost wall. She brought up the Sin-Cong files on screen and began to scroll through them,

“…suspected Inhumans blah, blah, blah… mist immunity whatever,” she read aloud. “This would be much easier if we knew what exactly they were lying about, but… no transformations or transformative states recorded… maybe I can send Swain with that Swedish delegation, their own command might help bring them back down to earth a little, and Flint could use some grounding as well, maybe a mission with Inferno and Naja…”

Fruitlessly, she attempted to get her train of thoughts back on track, but the words on the screen were swimming in front of her and she had to fight to stifle a yawn.

Giving in to the exhaustion, she walked back to the bar to sit down, she still had to do something tonight, she thought, there was too much on her mind to be able to sleep but she cannot waste all this time speculating on the inner workings of her team’s psyche. She ran through her mental checklist again. Plans recalibration. Sanctuary plea. Iso. Swedish delegation. Avengers check-up. Avengers check-up…

Natasha.

Natasha was no longer so closely tied with the Avengers as she was the last time the Inhumans were on earth, but she was still the person with most experience with them who wasn’t Crystal’s ex or his extended family, and so she had been assigned as their liaison for the past couple of months - and if Crystal was being honest with herself she more than just looked forward to their meeting. Natasha had a way about her that made Crystal feel safe and at ease, they’d only met twice since Attilan had crashed in the Hudson River but their last meeting had ended very well, so much so that she did not mind the implied insult in having both S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers monitor them so closely. “Randac’s genes, Crystal, calm down will you,” she muttered to herself. Leaning over the bar she picked up her phone and fired off a text,

\-- Unexpectedly free tonight, could we move up our regular check-in?

\---- How does 2300 work for you?

\---- Although, I don’t think The Cube will be open that late…

\-- Not to worry, I have someplace else in mind, see you at 11

 

* * *

 

The lights at Home were dimmed, music coming in over the speakers. She had been informed by Swain that the bar was ‘an absolute must visit’ and she was beginning to see why they were so fond of it. A floor to ceiling art pop piece faced her as she came in and though constantly fully booked, the place still managed space for some beautiful light structures. Crystal quickly made her way to the second floor balcony. Natasha was already seated, a half-empty glass in front of her and a snug knit grey dress accentuating the curves of her slender figure.

“Hey there, hope that Mole Man attack on fifth didn’t hold up traffic too badly,” Natasha greeted.

“No, no, we managed to escape the worst of it,” Crystal replied, “a shame though; I could have done with some punching or some burying-alive-in-a-watery-tomb classic superhero-ing.”

“Your mission went well then, huh?” Natasha asked, the beginnings of a smirk forming on her lips.

Crystal resisted the urge to roll her eyes and stiffened instead, pulling her shoulders back and her chin up, attempting to project the regal aura her sister always conjured up so easily. “The mission was, in a sense, successful.” She said. “We failed to find any Inhuman Sin-Cong subjects and so are satisfied that none are being mistreated. There was some, um, foolish, words exchanged at the end there but we managed to move forward from there and international relations will continue on as they have previously. S.H.I.E.L.D should have a full and detailed report by tomorrow,” she finished, letting out a breath and relaxing again, “There. Good?”

Natasha leaned back in her chair, taking her glass with her, her smirk now fully settled. She gazed out onto the city for a few moments, brows knit in mock-contemplation and turned back. “The princess reports reasonable success on her mission, Avengers - Sin-Cong relations should continue unchanged. How does that sound?” she asked.

“Please don’t call me princess,” Crystal replied.

Natasha nodded, tipping her glass in acknowledgement. “So how did it actually go?” she asked.

“I was overwhelmed by this brutal show of force. And clearly, being an inhuman woman, I lack the cold precision of your most impressive machines,” she mocked.

Natasha winced sympathetically, “did you at least get any information out of them?” she said.

“Nothing concrete, they clearly are hiding something, we just don’t what, but we have time and I will find them out yet” she answered, sighing. “I hope your missions have been a little more successful” she continued.

“They have been… intriguing,” Natasha answered, the sparkle in her eyes indicating some private joke that Crystal was missing.

It was good look on her.

 

* * *

 

Crystal gasped against the hot mouth on hers, a laugh bubbling in her chest. Natasha had lead them to the bar’s coat closet, which she had spotted canvasing the place, and somehow she ended up against the wall her dress racked up her thighs, strong hands fisted into her short hair. Natasha broke their kiss to look down on her, smiling wickedly before ducking back down to nip at her collarbone, Crystal sighed, letting her head fall back and felt heat pooling low in her belly at the sensation of teeth dragging against her skin. Slowly she let go of her death grip over Natasha’s waist in favour of letting her hands roam over the elegant figure pinning her down, kneading muscle and soft skin, Natasha almost melting against her.

“Crys- crystal,” Natasha sighed, moving back up her throat, arms falling to her waist, mouth on hers again, pulling back only to catch Cyrstal’s lower lip between her teeth, tugging oh so gently before bearing down again. Heat flooded her body but she needed more, she needed the pressure of Natasha’s strong thighs between hers, the taste of her on her tongue and to see her soft smile pressed against her skin.

“Na—ahhh,” Crystal gasped, “Natasha, Nat, Nat listen we should, we should go…” she finally managed, bringing her hands to push gently on Natasha’s shoulders. When Natasha looked at her this time disappointment was clear on her face, she almost looked petulant. It was adorable. “We are in a closet, Natasha.”

At that Natasha leaned down bumping her forehead with Crystals, gently nosing at her, “A walk-in closet,” she offered.

“Royalty does not get off in closets,” Crystal replied laughing. “I’m gonna get you off?” Natasha asks, her smile sends shivers down Crystal’s spine, her teasing leaving her no choice but to push back up against her, to slot their mouths together again, to kiss her hot and open mouthed. Natasha laughs into her mouth this time, and Crystal takes the chance to slip her tongue into her mouth, sliding her palm down to graze against the soft breasts pushed up against her and back up to tweak nipples peeking through thin fabric. Natasha moans heavy at her touch and Crystal finally breaks their kiss.

“Yes,” she answered, “now take me home.”


End file.
